TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The military on Sunday (April 7) announced details of live-fire drills scheduled from April 9-17. 

Aside from test-firing the newly developed Land Sword II missile on April 9 at Jiupeng Military Base in Pingtung, the military will also hold the Lei Ting, Shen Ying, and Shen Gong exercises this month.

In the Lei Ting exercise, units will launch MK15, MK30, and MK45 rockets from Thunderbolt-2000 multiple-launch rocket systems to demonstrate anti-landing combat capabilities, CNA reported. Soldiers will practice firing positions, firing procedures, and weapons and fire control systems checks on the vehicles. 

In the Shen Ying exercise, various types of helicopters from the Aviation and Special Forces Command, including AH-64E Apaches and AH-1W Super Cobras, will carry out air-to-air firing. The helicopters will fire Hellfire and Sidewinder missiles to test their ability to strike sea, air, and land targets.

In the Shen Gong exercise, troops will use dual-mounted systems and Avenger air-defense systems to fire Stinger missiles. The soldiers have 10 seconds to track and fire to eliminate the target. 

Instructors will differentiate between a hit and a tactical hit, which means the missile grazed the target, causing damage without exploding.

Additionally, the Aviation and Special Forces Command will hold firing drills from April 9-12 at the Joint Operations Training Base Command in Pingtung County.